Trophy Time

We get a chance to put our disappointing league form to one side this Saturday when our trophy-less country cousins come to town. Could this be the first chance in history to beat them twice in the one day? The soccer-fest kicks off at 11.30 when the over 35 brigade ditch the zimmers and take the field to see who will be first to pull a hamstring. It's a great opportunity to see some Killie stars of the past again with names like Monty, Dave Mackinnon, Paul Wright, Durrant, McCoist and of course the good lord Willie Watters. We have it in good authority that Willie has been taking to the Glasgow streets on his bike to get fit - serious stuff indeed although he generally just jogs down the Clyde!

The main event starts at 12.30 and is one not to be missed. With A*r struggling for first division survival

it may well be many years before our paths cross again so this gives us an opportunity to gain revenge for the cup defeats. It's amusing to read their fans views on the website. When asked about their best memories as an A*r fan the most common answer is beating Killie. It doesn't quite match up to winning cups and playing in Europe but thanks for the backhanded compliment anyway folks. Sadly many of the younger generation don't see Ayr as our biggest rivals as we only play them once in a while but our generation remember some classic derby matches and here's hoping that Saturday is just that.

Hopefully we'll be savouring two Killie wins as we head to the pub to watch Scotland gain a Euro play-off place - there's even time to head for Hampden as it's a 4.00 kick off. Get yourself along to the Theatre of Pies nice and early to see all the action, it promises to be a day to remember. The only thing we were disappointed at was that the club called a press conference to publicise the event and decided in their wisdom to not ask us along for the first time in a long while…is this a sign of a return to the old days? Regardless, we will not stoop so low and will publicise the event anyway, the well being of the club is far more important to us than any petty grievances…but then again, that's because we are supporters.

Fortress No More

It doesn't seem so long ago that Rugby Park was a difficult place for away teams to get anything from however in recent seasons we seem to grab as many points on the road as we do at our own ground. This was the case when Bobby Williamson was in charge where our style of play was suited to hitting teams on the break rather than trying to break down packed defences.

This season has seen a couple of very poor home performances and it's hard to explain the reasons for the downturn. Our defence is looking shaky, our midfield is a real problem area and the problems in the boardroom appear to be filtering on to the park. It's no time for panic all the same but we need to turn things around quickly as it's all too easy to get into a rut. The management team has enough experience to calm the rocky waters and a victory this weekend may just act as a spur for some tricky league fixtures in the weeks ahead.

Say Aye To A Killie Pie

We had the pleasure of speaking to Brownings main man John Gall this week to see how things were going on the catering front at the Theatre of Peppered Steak slices. Firstly John was keen to apologise to any Killie fans that bought a dodgy hot drink last Saturday. An electrical fault caused many of the tea machines to break down and John assures us normal service will be resumed this week.

The company is delighted with the response from the Killie fans thus far however they are continually looking at improving the service. The launch of the new Killie pie was a huge success and they only just managed to cope with the demand at the Aberdeen game. They will shortly be introducing an option for vegetarians as well although this is one product that won't be supported by these two fat laddies. It's great to see that, in these financially challenged times, a local company is expanding rapidly and ploughing lots of money into Killie - long may it continue.

The Italian Job

This Saturday the boy Invincibile was not be the only Dan at Rugby Park with Italian connections. The founder of the Kilmarnock Supporter's Club in Italy, Dan Marcolini, was in town for the Aberdeen game. Dan contacted us last week to tell us about his visit and we arranged to meet him in the pub before the game. This was Dan's seventh visit to Rugby Park since he first came over from his hometown of Verona in 1988. Some of you may remember seeing his photo on the front page of The Kilmarnock Standard with his friend, Killie book author Bill Donnachie, on that occasion.

Despite his frequent visits, the last being in 1996, Dan had never had a tour around Rugby Park. We contacted the club about this and they pulled out all the stops to make sure that this was one visit he did not forget. They took Dan and his friend Michael from Glasgow on a personal tour of the stadium before the Aberdeen game, and threw in a couple of match tickets and entry to the 1997 club to boot...and all for free. Well-done Killie.

Dan, a traffic cop on the world craziest roads, is football daft and supports his local team Chievo Verona, who have recently being doing okay in Serie A. Like us you are probably wondering how on earth he came to follow Killie, and the simple answer to that is that he saw the name Kilmarnock on a Johnnie Walker bottle and it all escalated from there!

The bold boy has vivid recollections of our time in the lower divisions and has been to matches home and away, including Europe. He was in Nice and indeed travelled all the way to Germany on his motorbike for the Kaiserslautern game, which he added was just fantastic despite the result. He was over the moon to meet Monty and Coby on his tour and was equally delighted to get the chance to run out of the tunnel when Sandy Ferguson arrived to take a few snap. If anyone is near Verona then feel free to look for Dan in his local, the details are all on the supporter's section of the official website.

Killie Trust Quiz Night

The Killie Trust will hold its first fundraising event in the form of a Quiz Night and Karaoke, to be held in the Park Suite on Friday 24th October 2003 at 7:30 pm. Quiz teams will be allowed a maximum of four people, non-members welcome, tickets cost £3 and are available from match day sign-up points (usually in the Park Hotel) or by filling out a form on the website www.killietrust.org and sending a cheque by post. The Trust would appreciate assistance in advertising this event and have produced a poster which can be downloaded, printed out and placed on notice boards, shop windows or other appropriate places, that too can be found on their website or on killiefc.com.

Dylan Does Dallas

Okay it's Arizona, but we are not going to let a state or two get in the way of a cheesy headline! The last time we saw of the self proclaimed Killie legend he was flogging sponsorship packages for the Youth Trust. Then all of a sudden, on the night he was due to appear at the Killie Trust launch he was posted missing, and we never heard from him again until he e-mailed us last week.

First of all he would like us to convey his apologies to the Trust members for not being able to attend the launch as due to circumstances he had to be in America. He was chuffed to be back at Killie in the Youth Trust role but truth be told he was suffering not being involved in the playing side of things. He got the chance of a great coaching job in Phoenix Arizona when he met up with the Director of Coaching in New York and decided that he would fly out and give it a shot.

As it happens Killie's Official Buckaroo champion was put in charge of five youth teams, all of whom he says have pitches and facilities that would put Premiership clubs to shame. Within a matter of weeks he had won a tournament with his under 18 team that had not even won a game in four years…a future Killie manager? He says one day he'd love to!

In signing off Dylan made three points. Firstly he wants to chin the 'cheeky sod' who said he should be on the bench in the over 35's game. Secondly he wants it made clear that he wont accept anything less than a win against those 'A*r bamsticks' (or words to that effect). And last but not least…does anyone want to buy his wee yellow motor? Still mad as a bucket of frogs but still Killie daft!

Read the B&H column in the Kilmarnock Standard every week